Explorers of Africa in History By Alistair Boddy-Evans Updated August 08, 2016. Even in the 18th century, much of the interior of Africa was unfamiliar to Europeans. Rather they limited themselves to trade along the coast, first in gold, ivory, spices, and later slaves. In 1788 Joseph Banks, the botanist who'd sailed across the Pacific Ocean with Cook, went as far as to found the African Association to promote the exploration of the interior of the continent. What follows is a list of those explorers whose names went down in history. Ibn Battuta (1304-1377) traveled over 100,000 kilometres from his home in Morocco. According to the book he dictated, he traveled as far as Beijing and the Volga River; scholars say it's unlikely he traveled everywhere he claims to have. James Bruce (1730-94) was a Scottish explorer who set off from Cairo in 1768 to find the source of the River Nile .

He arrived at Lake Tana in 1770, confirming that this lake was the origin of the Blue Nile, one of the tributaries of the Nile. Mungo Park (1771-1806) was hired by the African Association in 1795 to explore the River Niger. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World When the Scotsman returned to Britain having reached the Niger, he was disappointed by the lack of public recognition of his achievement and that he was not acknowledged as a great explorer. In 1805 he set out to follow the Niger to its source. His canoe was ambushed by tribesmen at the Bussa Falls and he drowned. René-Auguste Caillié (1799-1838), a Frenchman, was the first European to visit Timbuktu and survive to tell the tale. He'd disguised himself as an Arab to make the trip. Imagine his disappointment when he discovered that the city wasn't made of gold, as legend said, but of mud. His journey started in West Africa in March 1827, headed towards Timbuktu where he stayed for two weeks.

He then crossed the Sahara (the first European to do so) in a caravan of 1,200 animals, then the Atlas Mountains to reach Tangier in 1828, from where he sailed home to France. Heinrich Barth (1821-1865) was a German working for the British government. His first expedition (1844-1845)was from Rabat (Morocco) across the coast of North Africa to Alexandria (Egypt). His second expedition (1850-1855) took him from Tripoli (Tunisia) across the Sahara to Lake Chad, the River Benue, and Timbuktu, and back across the Sahara again. Samuel Baker (1821-1893) was the first European to see the Murchison Falls and Lake Albert, in 1864. He was actually hunting for the source of the Nile. Richard Burton (1821-1890) was not only a great explorer but also a great scholar (he produced the first unabridged translation of The Thousand Nights and a Night).

His most famous exploit is probably his dressing as an Arab and visiting the holy city of Mecca (in 1853) which non-Muslims are forbidden to enter. In 1857 he and Speke set off from the east coast of Africa (Tanzania) to find the source of the Nile. At Lake Tanganyika Burton fell seriously ill, leaving Speke to travel on alone. John Hanning Speke (1827-1864) spent 10 years with the Indian Army before starting his travels with Burton in Africa. Speke discovered Lake Victoria in August 1858 which he initially believed to be the source of the Nile. Burton didn't believe him and in 1860 Speke set out again, this time with James Grant. In July 1862 he found the source of the Nile, the Ripon Falls north of Lake Victoria. David Livingstone (1813-1873) arrived in Southern Africa as a missionary with the aim of improving the life of Africans through European knowledge and trade. A qualified doctor and minister, he had worked in a cotton mill near Glasgow, Scotland, as a boy.

Between 1853 and 1856 he crossed Africa from west to east, from Luanda (in Angola) to Quelimane (in Mozambique), following the Zambezi River to the sea. Between 1858 and 1864 he explored the Shire and Ruvuma river valleys and Lake Nyasa ( Lake Malawi ). In 1865 he set off to find the source of the River Nile. Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) was a journalist sent by the New York Herald to find Livingstone who had been presumed dead for four years as no-one in Europe had heard from him. Stanley found him at Uiji on the edge of Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa on 13 November 1871. Stanley's words "Dr Livingstone, I presume?" have gone down in the history as one of the greatest understatements ever. Dr Livingstone is said to have replied, "You have brought me new life." Livingstone had missed the Franco-Prussian War, the opening of the Suez Canal , and the inauguration of the transatlantic telegraph.

Livingstone refused to return to Europe with Stanley and continued on his journey to find the source of the Nile. He died in May 1873 in the swamps around Lake Bangweulu. His heart and viscera were buried, then his body was carried to Zanzibar, from where it was shipped to Britain. He was buried at Westminster Abbey in London. Unlike Livingstone, Stanley was motivated by fame and fortune. He traveled in large, well-armed expeditions -- he had 200 porters on his expedition to find Livingstone, who often traveled with only a few bearers. Stanley's second expedition set off from Zanzibar towards Lake Victoria (which he sailed around in his boat, the Lady Alice), then headed into Central Africa towards Nyangwe and the Congo (Zaire) River, which he followed for some 3,220 kilometres from its tributaries to the sea, reaching Boma in August 1877. He then set off back into Central Africa to find Emin Pasha, a German explorer believed to be in danger from warring cannibals.

The German explorer, philosopher, and journalist Carl Peters (1856-1918) played a significant role in the creation of Deutsch-Ostafrika (German East Africa) A leading figure in the ' Scramble for Africa ' Peters was ultimately vilified for his cruelty to Africans and removed from office. He was, however, considered a hero by the German emperor Wilhelm II and Adolf Hitler .. Mary Kingsley 's (1862-1900) father spent most of his life accompanying noblemen around the world, keeping diaries and notes which he hoped to publish. Educated at home, she learnt the rudiments of natural history from him and his library. He employed a tutor to teach his daughter German so she could help him translate scientific papers. His comparative study of sacrificial rites around the world was his major passion and it was Mary's desire to complete this which took her to West Africa after her parents' deaths in 1892 (within six weeks of each other).

Her two journeys weren't remarkable for their geological exploration, but were remarkable for being undertaken, alone, by a sheltered, middle-class, Victorian spinster in her thirties without any knowledge of African languages or French, or much money (she arrived in West Africa with only £300). Kingsley did collect specimens for science, including a new fish which was named after her. She died nursing prisoners of war in Simon's Town ( Cape Town ) during the Anglo-Boer War. The article is a revised and expanded version of that first published on 25 June 2001. The Nile’s Source Discovered | History Today The Nile’s Source Discovered East Africa John Hanning Speke discovered the source of the Nile on August 3rd, 1858. John Hanning Speke, an army officer’s son from the West Country, was commissioned into the army of the East India Company in 1844 at the age of seventeen. In 1854 he eagerly joined an expedition to east Africa under the command of Captain Richard Burton, who had returned from his sensational visit to Mecca disguised as an Arab pilgrim the year before.

The explorers came under a fierce attack by tribesmen at Berbera and both Speke and Burton were wounded, Speke almost fatally. Rightly or wrongly, Speke believed that Burton had questioned his courage in this incident. It rankled with him all his life and underlay a growing antipathy between the two men, who were in any case extremely unalike. Compared with the brilliant and wildly unconventional Burton, Jack Speke seemed a plodder. Despite this, however, in 1856 Speke joined Burton on another expedition to east Africa, organized by the Royal Geographical Society. The purpose was supposedly to follow up rumours of a great lake in the interior, the so-called Sea of Ujiji, but in reality the search was on for the source of the Nile. The expedition moved inland from the coast opposite Zanzibar and, in February 1858, it discovered Lake Tanganyika. After three months exploring the lake, both Burton and Speke were ill and the expedition started back towards the coast. However, they had heard tell of another huge lake to the north of Tanganyika.

Speke, who had by now recovered, set off in command of a small party and in August came upon what he later described as ‘a vast expanse’ of ‘the pale-blue waters’ of the northern lake. He named it Lake Victoria and believed, correctly, that it was the source of the Nile. Burton would not accept Speke’s claim to have discovered the Nile’s source, for which he felt there was no convincing evidence. He believed that the true source was more likely to be ‘his’ Lake Tanganyika. But Speke got back to England in May 1859 before Burton, and announced that he had found the source of the Nile. Burton felt belittled and was infuriated by Speke’s account of the expedition in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine. The breach between them was never healed. The Royal Geographical Society sent Speke back to Africa to substantiate his Nile claims. The expedition left the coast in September 1860 but there were difficulties because its two interpreters quarrelled, which complicated the negotiations with the local rulers through whose territories the expedition had to pass and with the Arab traders from whom it needed supplies.

There were long delays before the explorers reached Gondokoro, 750 miles south of Khartoum, in February 1862. After much politicking and intrigue the powerful king of Buganda, Mutesa, allowed Speke to proceed to the point on Lake Victoria where the White Nile issues from the lake. He reached what he named Ripon Falls on July 28th 1862. He was thirty-five and this was the crowning point of his life. Unfortunately, Speke did not follow the Nile stream northwards as closely as he might have, which enabled doubters to question whether ‘his’ river really was the Nile. Speke got back to Gondokoro in February 1863 and by May was in Cairo where he announced to the waiting world that the question of the source of the Nile was now ‘settled’. Returning to London to address a special meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, Speke was the hero of the hour. In December 1863 he published his book, The Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile. Unfortunately for him, it had been badly edited and appeared both inaccurate and disagreeably boastful.

In 1864 he published What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile about the earlier expedition, which also did his reputation no good. Burton was still refusing to admit that Speke had discovered the source of the Nile, the two men were completely at loggerheads and a debate between them was scheduled at the British Association for September 16th. Speke went shooting partridges in Wiltshire the day before, climbed over a wall with his gun cocked and shot himself. His death was probably an accident, but word spread that he had committed suicide because he was too scared to face Burton in debate. Speke was thirty-seven when he died. It was not until years later that he was proved to have been right and that Lake Victoria Nyanza is the source of the White Nile (though the lake has several feeder rivers). How the source of the Nile was finally uncovered | Express Yourself | Comment | Daily Express How the source of the Nile was finally uncovered FOR centuries the River Nile has fascinated, even seduced, the questing mind.

00:00, Fri, Sep 9, 2011 The Nile flows in Uganda [] As far back as the second century BC, many had sought to solve the question of its source. But it was not until the middle of the 19th century that this geographical mystery was solved and revealed its secrets to a hugely courageous group of intrepid British adventurers who beat a remarkable path in Africa. Between 1856 and 1876 these men (and one woman) became national heroes as stirring accounts emerged of their journeys into the heart of the Dark Continent. These expeditions fired the Victorian imagination. Now a book, Explorers Of The Nile, by historian Tim Jeal, gives a detailed account of these forays in search of the Nile’s source. The object of the quest had been the planet’s most elusive secret. Alexander The Great is said to have asked about the Nile and a proverb grew up over the centuries.

Dreamers of the impossible were often told: “It would be easier to find the source of the Nile.” The men were forced to endure malaria and flesh-eating ulcers as well as stab and spear wounds The huge challenge, however, fired the imagination of these individualistic and aggressive explorers – among them David Livingstone and Henry Stanley – and they set out to fill in one of the blanks on the world’s maps. It was a formidable challenge. The world’s longest river has two main branches – the White Nile, which flows 4,230 miles from its remotest central African sources to the Mediterranean, and the Blue Nile, which rises high up on the Ethiopian plateau and flows for 1,450 miles. The two parts then join at Khartoum by which time the White Nile has flowed some 2,500 miles. To natives of this vast area the river possessed magical qualities. Some felt it was god-like and even feared its wrath. But European explorers faced more gruelling horrors than mere native superstition. They were forced to persevere in the face of treacherous rainy season quagmires and deadly disease for which, in those pre-penicillin days, there was no cure.

One noted explorer, John Hanning Speke, gave a graphic account of being “invaded” in his tent by a host of small black beetles – one of which rushed into his ear. “One of the horrid little insects,” he wrote, “struggled up the narrow channel (of the ear) until he got arrested by want of passage room. This impediment evidently enraged him for he began with exceeding vigour, like a rabbit at a hole, to dig violently away.” Speke was forced to gouge out the beetle using a knife which led to his face and shoulder swelling up. He also lost his hearing in that ear. The men were also forced to endure malaria and flesh-eating ulcers as well as stab and spear wounds inflicted by natives in revolt. But what partly drew British explorers to central Africa was more their hunger for fame (and fortune) than any simple thirst for adventure. Among the most charismatic was Sir Richard Burton, already well-known for his travels in Asia, Africa and the Americas. He had an extraordinary knowledge of languages (he spoke 29 European, African and Asian ones) and excited public interest by travelling disguised as a native Arab in Mecca.

His noted fascination with sex resulted in his world famous translation of the Kama Sutra. In 1856 Speke and Burton joined forces and set off for East Africa to find the Great Lakes which were rumoured to exist in the centre of the continent. Both men hoped the expedition would eventually locate the source of the Nile. They became the first Europeans to discover Lake Tanganyika (although the hapless Speke had gone temporarily blind and could not see it). They were told of a second lake in the area but Burton, himself now sick, was left behind and a shaky Speke had to go alone. He found the magnificent body of water and named it Lake Victoria. It was eventually named as the source of the Nile. But it was impossible to prove this at the time because much of the expedition’s survey equipment had been lost and vitally important technical questions about the height and extent of the lake could not be answered. Speke returned to England without Burton and was quick to make a speech to the Royal Geographical Society in which he claimed to have discovered the source of the Nile. Burton, who later returned, was infuriated by Speke’s announcement. He accused his former friend of breaking to speak together.

Speke returned to Lake Victoria in 1862 and found the Nile flowing out of it. He then sailed along the river until he met up with other explorers. Reaching Khartoum, he sent a telegram to London: “The Nile is settled.” This enraged Burton who claimed Speke had not followed the Nile from the point it flowed from Lake Victoria. A debate on the matter was arranged by the British Association in Bath for September 18, 1864. But that morning Speke died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while out hunting at Neston Park, Wiltshire. An inquest concluded that it was accidental but some thought it was suicide. Despite evidence that it was clearly an accident, Burton soon declared that Speke had committed suicide to avoid “the exposure of his misstatements in regard to the Nile sources”. Another extraordinary figure in this race to find the source of the Nile was Sir Samuel Baker, who was accompanied on his explorations by his wife Florence. They were by all accounts an unconventional couple who, despite flouting some Victorian rules, were popular within society. Only Queen Victoria refused to receive them on the grounds they had enjoyed pre-marital relations (which they had).

The couple had met in unusual circumstances. Baker discovered his future wife, then aged 14, about to be sold in an Ottoman slave auction. She had been orphaned in a Hungarian uprising, brought up in a harem and given the name Florenz (which she later changed to Florence). He smuggled her away and they would eventually appear in Africa approaching the Nile from the Egyptian end. Florence cut a colourful figure in Africa where the natives were fascinated by her blonde hair (which none had even seen before). She had made herself a female version of her husband’s military uniform. But what shocked other Europeans they met was her insistence on refusing to ride side-saddle – the normal practice for women in that era. Florence would always ride with her shapely legs astride the horse. The couple also fell victim to malaria and on one occasion recovered, quite amazingly, after an old chief sprayed them with spittle. However their travels were not without moments of unintentional humour. The same chief spotted Baker’s chamber pot in the corner of their hut and decided that it would make a perfect serving bowl for important occasions.

He was deeply disappointed when he was informed that it was a “sacred vessel” which had to accompany Baker everywhere he went. Back in Europe during the decades that men such as Speke, Burton and Baker were venturing into the heart of Africa there were more political considerations developing. After the creation of a unified Germany and Italy, the other European powers (specifically France and Britain) became involved in an intricate political dance to maintain dominance. All looked to Africa for what was called “a place in the sun”. Britain in particular focused on Egypt and the control of the Suez Canal. The Nile area would equally become a part of such a scramble for power. The explorers of this era were a rare breed whose courage and curiosity were matched by their tenacity and physical endurance. Although many suffered at the hands of Africans who saw them as a threat, they mostly strived to make the lives of those they met better. Speke had been deeply shocked by the poverty of the local people and he realised, like many of the other adventurers, that the establishment of colonies was the best way to clear the path for enlightenment. For the men who found the source of the mighty Nile also knew that the river would prove to be one of Africa’s blessings.

To order a copy of Explorers Of The Nile by Tim Jeal (Faber, £25) send a cheque payable to Express Bookshop to: Nile Offer, PO Box 200, Falmouth TR11 4WJ or call 0871 988 8367 (10p a minute from UK landlines) or order online at UK delivery is free. | Egypt , Middle East , History John Hanning Speke was a British explorer who arrived in Jinja, Uganda in 1862. He came in search of the answer to an age-old question: "where is the source of the Nile?" In 1859, using Zanzibar as a starting point, Speke crossed to east Africa and ventured into the hinterland where he found a huge lake that he believed to be the source of the Nile. The following year – on a new expedition - he travelled around this lake – today known as Lake Victoria - to discover the Nile flowing out from its northern side. The Royal Geographical Society in London, established in 1830, sponsored expeditions into the heart of Africa.

It houses the maps, navigation tools and personal belongings of famous explorers from the 19th century – men who were in the grip of a romantic obsession to discover the source of the Nile. Dane Kennedy, a British historian, talks about the legends and speculations that have arisen around the River Nile. "For Europeans, the exploration of the Nile is probably the biggest goal, that drives their enterprise in the 19th century because it is seen as the largest and the most important river, and also because there is this long heritage, or history, associated with it … so to actually, sort of claim, we have found the source, brings with it, a kind of prestige and status … that really is much greater, than probably any other, sort of geographical discovery that anyone could make in Africa, at that time." Source: Al Jazeera Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions .

MORE FROM AL JAZEERA FOR THE SOURCE RICHARD BURTON & JOHN SPEKE In the middle of the 19th century, the river Nile, one of the greatest remaining challenges for explorers, still had its origins behind a barrier of fetid swamps, fatal diseases and ferocious tribesmen. Its mystery was compounded by reports of fabulous lakes and mountains. This challenge fired the imagination of aggressive and individualistic British explorers who went out on dangerous and fever ridden expeditions to find the source of the Nile. They went into this forbidding area only “because it was there”. Successive journeys by Richard Burton , John Speke, James Grant and the Bakers - Samuel and his wife Florence - marked the Nile to its beginnings and pencilled in the central lakes region of Africa one of the last remaining blanks on the worlds maps. Although most of the world had been mapped by Europeans by the middle of the 19th century, one of the very oldest and greatest mysteries of geography remained unsolved .

Until 1856, no more was known of the source of the Nile, the great river that was the cradle of western civilisation, than had been known to the geographer Ptolemy, in AD150. He had reported that the Nile originated in two great lakes in central Africa about 10 degrees south of the Equator, flanked by two peaks the “Mountains of the Moon”. This explanation had been incorporated in a map made by an Arab geographer about AD1100. In 1856, there was a growing feeling within the Royal Geographical Society that the time was at hand to settle the matter. Enter a swarthy stern moustachioed man of 35 who offered to take an expedition into the region, he was Lieutenant Richard Burton of the East India Company’s Bombay Light Infantry. The Society accepted his offer, sufficient money was raised, and the East India Company granted him leave. Burton selected as his companion, Lieutenant John Hanning Speke . These two individuals seemed perfectly suited to the task.

Burton was already known for his bold exploits and although he had blighted his prospects in the Indian Service by his bluntness, he was not yet the frighteningly controversial figure he was to become His linguistic abilities and his evident valour and resourcefulness made him an obvious leader. Speke seemed almost as suitable, he was 29 and had considerable experience in collecting botanical and zoological specimens in the Himalayas and was also a surveyor. Although appearing complimentary, the two personalities were in fact utterly incompatible and the violent personal quarrel between Burton and Speke that followed saw armchair geographers taking bitterly opposed sides. Other explorers were involved variously Livingstone, who died whilst trying to clear up the Burton/Speke Nile controversy; Stanley who found his vocation in Africa: James Grant who joined Spekes second expedition to Africa; and Samuel Baker because he went to verify Spekes theories. Burton was an enigmatic character, and had developed a taste for wine, women, fighting, gambling mysticism, daredevilry and above all for languages. They were the precious tools with which to satisfy his insatiable curiosity about exotic peoples.

In India, Burton’s rapid mastering of Persian, Afghan, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic won him the friendship of Sir Charles Napier, conqueror of Sind to whom he rendered superlative service a an intelligence officer. He earned the animosity of his superiors in the East India Company when he told them that they were losing touch with their subjects and made an accurate prediction of the approximate date of the 1857 Mutiny. In 1853, Burton left his clothes with a friend in London, donned an Arab personality so complete that he was able to pass among the most devout Muslims, letter perfect in his command of the language, and the rituals of the religion of Allah. Speke, as fair and charming as Burton was saturnine and sarcastic, came of a Somerset family whose origins went back to the conquest of 1066, he was a fanatic about personal fitness, dominated by his mother and sisters, awkward with other women he had an narcissistic tinge to his make- up. At 17 he joined the Indian Army and found action in the Sikh Wars under Sir Colin Campbell. In India Speke met James Augustus Grant , a Scot who was to play an important role in the future.

In this friendship Speke was the impetuous leader, while Grant was the cautious admiring follower. Despite his blundering during the earlier expedition, Speke was invited by Burton to join his official “lakes” expedition to Central Africa in 1856. Burton later said that he took Speke to “give him another chance”. Speke was however determined to be associated with the Nile discoveries. In 1857, the two partners embarked at Bombay and landed at Zanzibar. They made hasty preparations for the march inland from Bagamoyo . With the help from the British consul Col. Atkins Hammerton, Burton and Speke assembled their party which included 36 African porters, 10 gun carrying slaves, 4 drivers and a posse of Baluchi soldiers to protect them. There was much additional equipment required including ammunition, medicines, stores and an iron boat in seven sections intended to enable them to explore the great lake. Therefore a second caravan was organised to carry up the additional stores. On June 25th 1857, the march began.

In the early stages Burton overheard the Hindus telling each other that he would never get as far as Ugogo (not a third of the distance) whereupon they would seize all his belongings; he then had his moment of despair. The caravan proved to be only nominally under the command of its European leaders. The column moved at its own pace; indiscipline was the rule, theft endemic, and desertions began as soon as the men marched from the coastal strip. Within three weeks they had covered 118 miles with more than 600 ahead of them, both men were already so sick they often had to be carried. Smallpox was rife and the way was well marked by the bones of slaves who had died of this and other diseases. When they reached Morogoro they were, said Burton physically and morally incapacitated. At this point the Baluchi soldiers mutinied and had to be quelled by an emaciated Burton who faced them down with a revolver in his hand. Throughout the journey, and despite his ill- health, Burton continued his ethnological studies, which were so uncomplimentary to the black people that they are unprintable today.

By the time they reached Ugogo, half the supplies intended to last a year had been consumed or stolen. This was serious because the local tax, called “hongo” payable to chieftains over whose land they passed was rising progressively had to be paid out of the supplies they carried. The travellers health improved as they reached the savannah country. Tattered and emaciated, the two Englishmen walked into Kazeh on November 7th 1857, Speke was almost blind with opthalmia. There they learned that there was not one but three great lakes or seas, The Sea of Niassa to the south; The Sea of Ujiji (Lake Tanganyika) just ahead, and the Sea of Ukewere (Lake Victoria) to the north. On December 14th they were in sight of Lake Tanganyika and despite their incapacity and disabilities they attempted to explore the lake in a canoe, much too small a craft for such a large body of water. Their position now seemed to be so desperate that Burton decided to return to Zanzibar with news of the discoveries thus far made.

Speke later claimed that he suggested that they should march north from Ujiji, to the Sea of Ukwere but Burton felt unable to do so, even though the relief caravan had arrived. It had been badly plundered en route and the goods it brought quite insufficient to enable the party to barter its way onwards. Had a further journey been possible, Burton would have discovered that Lake Tanganyika was 400 miles long. As Burton continued with his ethnological investigations Speke was irked by the time being wasted, he persuaded Burton to permit him to take a small party on a three week trek to the reputed Sea to the north. THE BURTON- SPEKE EXPEDITION The most urgent task was to find what outlets there were from the lake, and thus to decide whether the Nile had its origin here. But they were unable to reach the northern end of the lake. However the natives assured them that at the northern end there was a river the Ruzizi that flowed into not out of the lake, meaning it could not be the Nile’s source.

Speke made a momentous foray northwards, and three weeks later, on August 3rd, 1858, beheld the huge expanse of the Sea of Ukerewe, which, he decided in a flash of inspiration was at last the Ptolemaic source of the Nile. He then hurried back to Burton to announce the great discoveries. Burton at first received the information coldly, then whilst acknowledging that Speke had found ‘a’ lake, demanded what possible proof he had that it was ’the’ lake. His forthright denigration of Spekes achievement further antagonised his companion, while his rejection of Speke’s suggestion that they should both go and investigate the lakes true extent, was a gross tactical blunder. The result was that Speke hugged the ‘discovery’ to himself. Burton’s growing sceptic ism was fuelled by a suppressed fear that he had made a fatal mistake himself. On the way back to Zanzibar the two men avoided the subject of the Nile altogether. When the explorers returned to Aden, their friendly relationship was merely a polite veneer covering profound hostilities.

Speke immediately found a vessel available to take him home to England, but Burton overlooked the importance of prompt public presentation of his claims and dallied in Aden. Speke promised to say nothing of their discoveries until Burton rejoined him in London, but on the ship he met an old acquaintance, a journalist, Lawrence Oliphant who quickly drew him out. SPEKE MAKES MOMENTOUS TRIP WITHOUT BURTON On arrival in London Speke went straight t o Sir Roderick Murchison , the President of the Royal Geographical Society, to claim the Nile, immediately the ship docked. When Burton arrived in London, he found his chance of a lifetime was gone forever. Speke had been promised command of a new expedition. Burton received the Societies coveted Gold Medal but Speke was the hero of the hour. Burton then took sick leave to visit the USA where he reported on Salt Lake City, headquarters of the Mormons as a kind of new ‘holy city’ which he compared with Mecca and Harar. On his return to England he found himself out of fashion and out of money.

He now compounded things by making what is considered to be an even greater error by marrying Isabel Arundell, Thereafter, Burton declined into the most eccentric member of the consular service, generally given the most unpleasant postings that the foreign office had on its books. For his new expedition to central Africa Speke selected as his companion, his old friend James Grant who was prepared to accept from Speke the subordinate position that Speke had rebelled against with Burton. The partnership of Speke and Grant was to be harmonious. a passionate, romantic and bigoted catholic girl who offered no possibility of helping her husband in his career or understanding his linguistic and literary powers. (CONTINUED BELOW CONTENTS) On his first sight of Lake Victoria, John Hanning Speke was convinced that the Nile must rise here. But he had no proof: he had no idea of exactly where the great river started or how it reached mapped regions. These gaps in geographical knowledge were filled by two subsequent explorations. The first headed by Speke himself and James Grant, led to a European standing for the first time, at the actual headwaters of the Nile. The second expedition was led by an intrepid big- game hunter, Samuel Baker, and his wife Florence.

These two were to discover Lake Albert, through which the Nile flowed on its long journey to the Mediterranean. THE BAKERS ON THE NILE Samuel Baker, Speke’s old hunting companion, from India, though ostensibly in Africa to search for the overdue Speke and Grant, had secretly decided to discover the Nile’s source if they had failed. But to his chagrin, the two explorers staggered into Baker’s base at Gondokoro on the Upper Nile with the news that they had succeeded. Wistfully, Baker asked if they were not “one leaf of the laurel left for me?”. There was indeed. Neither Speke nor Grant had discovered whether the river flowing out of Lake Victoria passed through another great lake before continuing its journey. Husband and wife determined to find out and Baker left a lively account of the expedition to the lake he was to name after Prince Albert. Samuel and Florence travelled slowly and methodically to their goal. When delayed, they set about building houses, planting vegetables and roaming the country in search of wild game.

During this trip they came to hate the slave- trade and its resultant havoc, a reaction in strange contrast to their conviction - echoing that of Burton, Speke and Grant before them - that the African was no more than a savage child. THE SECRET REVEALED Forward Burton prepared to embark on a pilgrimage to Al Medinah and Mecca. Almost immediately afterwards he was world famous. In 1854 an early expedition by Burton and Speke to penetrate central Africa from the Somali coast led to disaster. Shortly after Speke met Burton on the Somali coast, their camp was attacked and sacked; Burton and Speke were wounded a brother officer killed, and the expedition was saved from destruction only because a friendly Arab boatmen took the survivors back to Aden. Although Burton, in his report criticised Speke he nonetheless annexed Speke’s notes on the botany and zoology of the area to his report. Speke felt humiliated and ill- used, their relationship was already an explosive, psychic mixture.

Enter your search terms James Augustus Grant | British explorer | Britannica.com James Augustus Grant Macgregor Laird James Augustus Grant, (born April 11, 1827, Nairn , Nairn, Scot.—died Feb. 11, 1892, Nairn), Scottish soldier and explorer who accompanied John Hanning Speke in the search for and discovery of the source of the Nile River . Commissioned in the British army in 1846, Grant saw action in India in the Sikh Wars and the Indian Mutiny of 1857. When Speke started his second African expedition in 1860, he asked Grant, his friend and comrade in India, to join him. A loyal lieutenant, Grant for long intervals during the expedition was given independent command of part of the caravan. After great hardship, they found the outlet of Lake Victoria from which the Nile issued (July 1862). For his services, Grant was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Geographical Society .

During the 2 1/2-year journey, Grant had kept a journal describing events of geographic significance and the customs of native peoples; it was published under the title A Walk Across Africa (1864). In 1868 Grant served in the intelligence department under Lord Napier during the Ethiopian campaign, retiring from the service that same year with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Learn More in these related articles: in eastern Africa: The colonial era ...and had prompted the discovery in 1858 of Lake Tanganyika by the English expedition of Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke. Speke returned first to discover Lake Victoria in 1858 and then with James Grant in 1862 became the first white man to set eyes on the source of the Nile, which Speke named Ripon Falls. By circumnavigating Lake Victoria 12 years later, Henry Morton Stanley stilled the... in European exploration: Africa ...to England, sure that he had found the source of the Nile. He was right—but he had not seen the outlet, and Burton did not believe him.

In 1862 Speke, traveling with the Scottish explorer James Grant, found the Ripon Falls, in Uganda (which was submerged following the construction of the Owen Falls Dam [now the Nalubaale Dam] in 1954), and “saw without any doubt that Old Father... More about James Augustus Grant 4 References found in Britannica Articles Assorted Reference James Augustus Grant - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) (1827-1892). Scottish soldier and explorer James Augustus Grant was born on April 11, 1827, in Nairn, Scotland. Commissioned in the British army in 1846, Grant saw action in India in the Sikh Wars and the Indian Mutiny of 1857. In India he befriended his fellow officer John Speke. In 1860 Grant joined Speke’s second expedition to eastern Africa, which found the outlet of Lake Victoria from which the Nile River issues. In 1868 Grant served in the British intelligence department. He died on February 11, 1892, in Nairn. Article History Corrections? Updates?

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Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Article Title: James Augustus Grant Website Name: Encyclopædia Britannica Date Published: July 20, 1998 URL: Access Date: January 20, 2017 Share John Hanning Speke | British explorer | Britannica.com John Hanning Speke Sir Richard Burton John Hanning Speke, (born May 3, 1827, Bideford , Devon , Eng.—died Sept. 15, 1864, near Corsham, Wiltshire ), British explorer who was the first European to reach Lake Victoria in East Africa , which he correctly identified as a source of the Nile. Speke Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum; photograph, J.R. Freeman & Co. Ltd. Commissioned in the British Indian Army in 1844, he served in the Punjab and travelled in the Himalayas and Tibet . In April 1855, as a member of Richard Burton’s party attempting to explore Somaliland, Speke was severely wounded in an attack by the Somalis that broke up the expedition.

In December 1856 he rejoined Burton on the island of Zanzibar. Their intention was to find a great lake said to lie in the heart of Africa and to be the origin of the Nile. After exploring the East African coast for six months to find the best route inland, the two men became the first Europeans to reach Lake Tanganyika (February 1858). During the return trip, Speke left Burton and struck out northward alone. On July 30 he reached the great lake, which he named in honour of Queen Victoria. Speke’s conclusion about the lake as a Nile source was rejected by Burton and was disputed by many in England , but the Royal Geographical Society , which had sponsored the expedition, honoured Speke for his exploits. On a second expedition (1860), he and James Grant mapped a portion of Lake Victoria. On July 28, 1862, Speke, not accompanied by Grant for this portion of the journey, found the Nile’s exit from the lake and named it Ripon Falls . The party then tried to follow the river’s course, but an outbreak of tribal warfare required them to change their route.

In February 1863 they reached Gondokoro in the southern Sudan , where they met the Nile explorers Samuel Baker and Florence von Sass (who later became Baker’s wife). Speke and Grant told them of another lake said to lie west of Lake Victoria. This information helped the Baker party to locate another Nile source, Lake Albert . Speke’s claim to have found the Nile source was again challenged in England, and, on the day he was to debate the subject publicly with Richard Burton , he was killed by his own gun while hunting. Accounts of his explorations were published in 1863 and 1864. Learn More in these related articles: BBC - History - Historic Figures: John Hanning Speke (1827 - 1864) z John Hanning Speke © >Speke was an English explorer and the first European to reach Lake Victoria in east Africa, which he correctly identified as the long-sought source of the Nile. John Hanning Speke was born on 4 May 1827 in Bideford in Devon.

He was commissioned into the British army in 1844 and posted to India where he served in the Punjab and travelled in the Himalayas and Tibet. In April 1855, as part of Richard Burton's expedition to explore Somaliland, Speke was severely wounded in an attack by the Somalis. Invalided home, he volunteered for the Crimea and served during the war with a regiment of Turks. In December 1856, Speke accepted an invitation from Burton to join an expedition to search for the reported great lakes in east central Africa and, particularly, to try and find Lake Nyassa, said to be the origin of the Nile. They left Zanzibar in June 1857 and, after exploring the East African coast for six months to find the best route inland, became the first Europeans to reach Lake Tanganyika in February 1858. During the return trip, Speke left Burton, who was unwell, and struck out northward alone. In July he found a great lake which he named in honour of Queen Victoria. Speke's theory that the lake was the source of Nile was rejected by Burton - beginning a bitter public dispute between the two men.

However, the Royal Geographical Society, which had sponsored the expedition, honoured Speke for his exploits and commissioned a second expedition in 1860 to resolve the dispute. Speke and Captain James Grant mapped a portion of Lake Victoria. In July 1862, Speke, unaccompanied by Grant, found the Nile's exit from the lake and named it Ripon Falls. The party then tried to follow the river's course, but an outbreak of tribal warfare required them to change their route. On his return to England, Speke was greeted with enthusiasm and published 'Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile' (1863). Yet Burton and others remained unconvinced. On 15 September 1864, shortly before Speke and Burton were to debate the subject publicly, Speke was killed by his own gun while hunting. It remains uncertain whether it was an accident or suicide. Speke Hotel| Hotels in Kampala » Speke History Speke History Speke Hotel is named after the famous British explorer, John Hanning Speke, who discovered "The source of River Nile".

Speke Hotel is the first and oldest hotel in Uganda, built in the British Colonial times of the 1920s. It has, of course, gone through renovations, but has maintained its colonial ambience. John Hanning Speke John Hanning Speke born on 4th May 1827 was an officer in the British Indian Army who made three exploratory expeditions to Africa and who is most associated with the search for the source of the Nile and the discovery and naming of Lake Victoria. In 1856, Speke and Burton went to East Africa to find the Great Lakes, which were rumored to exist in the centre of the continent. It was hoped that the expedition would locate the source of the Nile. The journey was extremely strenuous and both men fell ill from a variety of tropical diseases. After an arduous journey, the two became the first Europeans to reach Lake Tanganyika. They heard of a second lake in the area, but Burton was too sick to make the trip. Speke went alone and became the first European to visit Lake Victoria and discover the source of the Nile.

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Question: Which British explorer discovered the source of the River Nile in 1862?
Answer: JOHN HANNING SPEKE